Inkjet printers have become popular with both home and business users. They have especially proven to be a low-cost way to print color hardcopies of images such as photographs. With the increasing sophistication of inkjet printers, many users, especially home users, concentrate on cost as a significant factor on which to base decisions as to which inkjet printers to purchase.
Inkjet printers, like other electronic devices, are susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD). Foreign objects, such as users' fingers, objects such as screwdrivers, and other objects may have a latent electrostatic charge. If they touch an exposed electrical contact of an inkjet printer, the resulting ESD may damage the inkjet printer. Because inkjet printers usually have removable printheads, the printers are especially vulnerable to ESD during printhead removal and insertion.
Integrating ESD protection into electronic devices, such as inkjet printers, can add relatively significant cost to manufacturing the devices. For instance, specific ESD protection circuits may be added to inkjet printers to prevent ESD from damaging the printers. However, the added cost of such ESD protection circuits can be cost prohibitive, especially in the case of consumer inkjet printers, where competition on the basis of price is fierce.